Plastic Free July: How Australians are reducing waste and plastic

AS the plastic bag ban saga causing widespread debate, Alicia Otto says it’s just one part of a larger journey for her as she aims to live 100 per cent plastic-free.

THE plastic bag ban saga causing widespread debate across Australia has opened up more conversations about how we want to — or don’t want to tackle the war on waste.

But while this change may seem like a massive leap for some, Alicia Otto says it’s just one part of a larger journey for her as she aims to live 100 per cent plastic-free.

“The plastic bag debate is simply about how we, as humans, refuse to believe it is our day to day habits harming the earth, when it is exactly our day to day habits that can save the earth,” she said.

“We only have one planet. It’s about time we all did our part to look after it.”

Right now, Ms Otto, 32, from Thornbury in Melbourne, is about living 85 per cent of her life without plastic.

She says it’s doable, but it’s not without hard work. During this month’s Plastic Free July Challenge across Australia, she has been documenting how she has ditched plastic for other sustainable options via Instagram.

While she has always been conscious of picking up rubbish from a young age, her personal journey to ditch plastic began three years ago when she downsized her three bedroom home to just 300 items.

“I realised how much stuff I had, especially plastic stuff. I am still perfecting how much plastic I use,” she told News Corp Australia.

“A lot of my plastic I got rid of was old office equipment including folders and plastic containers which I gave to schools that could use them everyday.

Alicia Otto, a town planner in Melbourne, who is making changes to her lifestyle so she will eventually be plastic-free. Picture: Supplied/Instagram

“I had two boxes of tupperware I never used in my life handed down by mum and grandma which I gave to preschools and charity shops to on-sell to those that need them. I also had plastic outdoor furniture and plastic things I’d take to the beach that I got rid of too.”

Nowadays, Ms Otto no longer uses the “big four” plastic items that include straws, single-use bags, waster bottles and takeaway coffee cups.

Instead, she uses bamboo straws, a Boomerang bag made from recycled materials, a glass or steel water bottle and she has a glass reusable KeepCup for tea or coffee.

She also never orders Uber Eats or Deliveroo because of how much waste their deliveries can produce. Instead, she takes her own container to her local Indian restaurant once a week and gets them to fill it up with her order.

“I’m know as ‘the plastic container girl’. I take my own reusable container and get them to fill it up and I make sure it's the standard size to what they’d normally use for a plastic takeaway container,” she said.

“I use the Trashless Takeaway website where you can see restaurants where you can BYO a container,” she said.

The Trashless Takeaway website. Picture: Supplied

When she shops, she goes to bulk supply stores and buys items she needs in jars and uses bags made from old lace curtains, and other materials that have been upcycled.

“I got the curtains sewn together so I can use them as produce bags to carry my bananas and apples for example,” she said.

She also used YouTube tutorials to see how she could easily dispose of her waste, which she is careful about as she contributes to a compost bin, a recycling bin and general waste bin in her unit block.

But Ms Otto does admit there are some plastic items she can’t avoid like cotton buds, and even clothing that contains microplastics.

“I’ve created something to help catch pilling while they’re in the washing machine,” she said.

On her Instagram, she showed followers how she bought upcycled facial wipes and rounds and now uses an upcycled cork bin to store them in her bathroom. While she rarely wears makeup, she uses a tinted moisturiser with sunscreen in a fillable container, with rosehip oil and an apricot scrub on her face.

She has refillable bottles for shampoo, conditioner and her body moisturiser. She’s also changed her floss to a refillable dental lace. While she uses normal toothpaste, she Terracycles the packaging. With her beauty routine her rules are use what you have, recycle when finished and find sustainable alternatives where possible.

Ms Otto accepts she is “by no means perfect” with her waste management.

But she said the changes she is making step by step have slowly made her less reliant on plastic.

“People need to be kinder to those making the change but also take some self responsibility. Change takes time. It takes practice. And it takes persistence. Congratulations to all those making the change.

‘To remove the big four regularly, it’s a choice. But this is a choice that has flow on impacts. My workmates all take keep cups for coffee, my friends and I talk about alternatives to plastics, my friend gives me takeaway soup after our dinners in Mason jars. Where your attention goes, energy flows!”

Tracey Bailey, founder of Australian eco store Biome, told News Corp Australia that those wanting to go plastic-free shouldn’t just throw something out because it’s plastic.

“If you have a plastic bottle that’s working for you, don’t get rid of it until you reach the end of its life. We don’t encourage people to buy something they don’t need,” she said.

While some might think going plastic-free is more expensive, Ms Bailey disagrees.

“It’s not more expensive, you actually save money as you become more aware that perhaps don’t need certain things and you don’t need to bring waste into your life. Processed foods are usually packaged in plastic and they are more expensive than the raw ingredients. Bottled water is between $3-$4 a litre and water is close to free out of a tap,” she said.

Tracey Bailey runs Biome, an eco friendly store that started online and moved into bricks and mortar. Picture: Jodie Richter

Since the plastic bag debate began, Ms Bailey said reusable KeepCups and produce bags have become their two top sellers, even though they’ve been in business for 14 years. Another popular product has been beeswax wrap to replace cling wrap.

As part of Plastic Free July, she said they are also offering customers more tips and education about how they can reduce plastics.

“We’ve published recipes on how people can make their own skin care and cleaning products for the home,” she said.

“We recently published a tip for getting a bronzer made of cacao powder out of the fridge as a blusher, that would’ve cost 50 cents as opposed to buying a new mineral bronzer for $40, ” she added.